According to a spokesperson for Defence minister Theo Francken, no Belgian soldiers will be sent to Greenland for the time being. “We have not received any requests from NATO, the EU or bilateral partners,” he said. However, the ministry of Defence and the government will “consider what they can do if Belgium is asked”.
Germany, France, Sweden and Norway have announced their intention to send troops to Greenland to support Denmark against the US threat to take control of the territory. The UK has also announced that it is sending an army officer to participate in a European reconnaissance mission.
The first French soldiers are on their way, with others to follow, president Emmanuel Macron confirmed on X. “At the request of Denmark, I have decided that France will participate in the joint exercises organised by Denmark in Greenland, Operation Arctic Endurance,” he said.
Greenland’s deputy prime minister, Mute Egede, confirmed in a press conference that more NATO troops would be present in the coming days. Belgian soldiers will not be among them for now.
After talks at the White House on Wednesday, Denmark’s Foreign minister said there was a “fundamental disagreement” with the US.
Lars Lokke Rasmussen said the meeting with Greenlandic Foreign minister Vivian Motzfeldt, US vice president JD Vance and secretary of state Marco Rubio had been “frank but constructive”, but added that Trump’s insistence on “conquering” Greenland was “totally unacceptable”.
Following the talks, Motzfeldt said her country wished to strengthen its cooperation with the US. However, she added: “That does not mean that we want to be owned by the US.”